Item 18 Proposed Withdrawal of Bus Service

REPORT FROM: HOUSING, HEALTH AND ENGINEERING MANAGER

TO: POLICY AND RESOURCES COMMITTEE

DATE: 27 JUNE 2019

Report Author: Sandra Farnell (Transport and Coordination Manager) Tel. No: 661053 E-mail: [email protected]

PROPOSED WITHDRAWAL OF BUS SERVICE 280 PRESTON-WHALLEY-CLITHEROE-GISBURN-SKIPTON

PURPOSE OF REPORT

To advise the Committee of the proposed withdrawal by Rotala Preston Bus of the local bus service 280 Preston to Skipton which includes part of the Pendle area, and to request it to consider if it wishes to make a contribution towards the continuation of the service.

FOR DECISION

The Committee is requested to consider if the Council should make the requested contribution of £10,000 towards the 280 bus service.

BACKGROUND

1. Prior to April 2016, the local bus service linking Preston, Clitheroe and Skipton via Mellor Brook, Whalley, Chatburn, Gisburn and Barnoldswick was operated by Transdev on behalf of Lancashire County Council (LCC) as part of the tendered bus service network. The service operated every hour during Monday to Saturday daytime and every two hours on Sunday daytime.

2. At the time, LCC significantly reduced its financial support for tendered bus services across the whole county and Rotala Preston Bus took on the operation of the service on a commercial basis.

3. The bus service currently links Preston to Skipton including South Ribble, Ribble Valley and Pendle. The service operates Monday to Saturday daytime, every hour between Preston and Clitheroe, extending every two hours through Barnoldswick and Skipton.

4. The service is used by students accessing Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and Skipton Craven College.

ISSUE

5. From 16 June 2019 Rotala Preston Bus has decided to withdraw the entire service as it is not a commercially viable service for them to continue to run. Whilst other local bus operators have been provided with passenger numbers and operational details, none has come forward to operate this service on a commercial basis.

6. Whilst areas such as Gisburn and residences throughout the length of the A59 will no longer have access to any bus service, there will also be significant impact to residents who travel across the whole area with the cessation of the service.

7. According to ticket machine data and on-bus surveys provided by LCC, there are approximately 170,000 annual passenger trips (559 per day) made on service 280.

8. Just over a third of the annual passenger trips (60,000) are older or disabled concessionary passholders. The fare income generated, including reimbursements, is approximately £330,000 per annum.

9. Whilst there are alternative LCC-tendered bus services available which could be reconfigured to provide a partial service for certain areas, this would result in some other areas having their service withdrawn.

10. A full replacement service has been estimated as costing in the region of £160,000.

11. LCC has procured Stagecoach in Merseyside and Lancashire for an alternative service.

12. Stagecoach is proposing to operate the section of route between Preston and Clitheroe on a commercial basis and is seeking to operate the section between Clitheroe and Skipton, which includes Barnoldswick, on a commercial basis with initial partnership funding support from LCC.

13. The financial subsidy that they would initially require to operate the current timetable (see Appendix) would be £84,483. Alternatively, they have proposed an additional service to Earby which would increase income and therefore reduce the contribution for £80,681 per annum. An updated route timetable including Earby will be produced once a decision is made.

14. Stagecoach will operate to the current timetable but will have freedom to alter the timetable, subject to consultation with LCC, to generate maximum revenue. Stagecoach has said that they will welcome periodic reviews of the service and its funding needs with the aim of reducing the financial support and establishing the service as wholly commercial in the future.

15. Stagecoach is not willing to operate the Preston to Clitheroe section in isolation of the Clitheroe to Skipton section.

LCC’s Proposal

16. LCC is looking to seek funding to initially provide the subsidy of £80,681 per annum for a replacement reflecting the proposed route with Earby incorporated into the service.

17. Whilst LCC recognises that it will be required to fund the majority of this cost, it is requestingg both Ribble Valley and Pendle Councils to contribute a quarter of this cost (£10k each).

18. Subject to Cabinet approval, Ribble Valley has agreed to the contribution of £10,000 on the basis that this is a one-off payment and without setting a precedent. 2

IMPLICATIONS

Policy: None arising directly from the report.

Financial: The Council is being asked to contribute a one-off £10,000 towards the costs of continuing bus service 280. Ribble Valley Borough Council has agreed, subject to Cabinet approval, to contribute £10,000. LCC will be meeting the other 75 per cent costs, which equate to just over £60,000. If the Committee agrees to the contribution a Supplementary Revenue Estimate would be required in 2019/20 for one year only funded from the Budget Support Reserve.